Storm of the Heart
by IvyJaylovescandy
Summary: Young Rainpaw, Mosspaw and Emberkit simply want their days to pass happily. Sadly, their lives soon become filled with loss and regret. Will they survive the storm?
1. Prologue- The vision

Prologue

 **Hi. Welcome to Storm of the Heart. I don't own Warrior cats.**

Screeches of cats filled his ears. Their pain filled wails made him sick to his stomach. The world around him was black, and he could only struggle through the darkness. He found himself able to make out some of the cries.

"So it was you all this time..."

"This is all YOUR fault!"

"No, not like this... Please... NO!"

"I just want all of the pain to end..."

"You... Hate me...?"

"I'll miss you..."

"Where is he?! Where- Oh Starclan no...!"

He continued to sprint through the blackness, trying to black out the screams. He didn't want to listen anymore. He wanted the crying to stop... But a single call still echoed in his head.

"I'll bring this all to an end."

Redstripe's eyes shot open, and he sat up with a gasp. He took a few moments to regain his breath, gasping for air in the darkness of his den. He quickly glanced around at his surroundings... He was still in the Medicine den... It was a dream. The ginger tabby stared at his paws, remembering the screams from his dream with a horrified shudder.

 _A... Dream...?_ He thought... Hoped... Then a voice called out, crushing all hope that it was a simple nightmare.

"Now my dear Redstripe, you of all cats should know that it was no dream." A voice said, and Redstripe's head shot up, recognizing the voice.

"Dawntail!" He gasped. He had only seen her a few times since her passing seasons ago, but he instantly recognized her creamy colored pelt, glittered now with stars.

"Hello my dear." Dawntail smiled brightly and she took a few paw steps closer to him.

"What's happening? That was a vision right?" Redstripe asked, trying to keep his voice level. He hadn't felt this terrified in... Well, probably since he first became the sole medicine cat.

"Oh my, can't your old mentor just pop in? (But yes)" Dawntail muttered, rolling her eyes. A mischivious smirk came across her face. "Honestly though, why can't you ever be happy to see me? Say how much you miss me, how appreciate me, declare your lo-"

"NO!" Redstripe cat her off with an annoyed shout. His pelt was ruffled and he was clearly flustered. "Ugh, even in death you haven't changed. Just tell me what the vision means!" He hissed. It was just like her to waste time joking around when they were pressed for time.

"Fiiiine..." Dawntail huffed, closing her eyes in disappointment. "(Spoil sport)" she muttered under her breath. She took a deep breath. She opened her eyes, which now has a serious and somber glint. "A storm is coming my dear. If it isn't stopped, the clans will be destroyed."

Redstripe's eyes widened in shock.

"A storm?" He asked. His pelt pricked with fear, his annoyance at her from a few moments ago disappeared. _How can a storm be that powerful?_ He remained quiet as Dawntail continued.

" _Sorrow and anger shall unleash it. Only the love that birthed will be able to stop it."_

"The love that- What in Starclan does that mean?!" Redstripe demanded. Was this a prophesy, or simply a warning? What does she mean be "love"?

"You will understand in time. I'm sorry but I must return now." Dawntail said, as she turned and began padding away. "Take care my dear..." Her voice echoed.

"Wait!" Redstripe called, darting to his feet, prepared to chase her down before she faded, but he froze when he heard shuffling from the nest nearby, followed by a tired yawn.

"Redstripe? What's wrong?" A small black-and-white she-cat asked. She sat up in her nest, yawning heavily. She was known to able to sleep through even the loudest storms, so he must have been making a lot of noise to wake her up.

Redstripe stared quietly at the empty space that Dawntail had stood just moments ago. She had already faded back to Starclan. He took a breath before answering.

"Nothing Darkpaw... Go back to sleep." He sat down again, quietly processing this new information. _A storm that can destroy the clans? How can "love" stop something that powerful?_


	2. Welcome to Willowclan

Chapter One: Welcome to Willowclan

It was a peaceful morning. The sound of birds in the air, pale, morning sunlight glittering the clearing. It was a typical day.

"Dustpaw, let me go!" A wail broke into the silence. Yep. A typical day in Willowclan indeed.

Near the apprentice's den, three young cats could be found. A small ginger kit with her head passed down in the dirt, a brown tabby tom who had his paw firmly on her head, and a thin, pale gray she-cat that looked nervously between the two.

"No can do Half-clan!" The brown tabby, Dustpaw, laughed. He smirked down at the young kit that struggled beneath his paws, her pelt now getting covered in dust. He mocking expression dropped for a moment when a soft voice spoke up.

"Dustpaw, maybe we should play something else..." Graypaw, the pale gray she-cat beside him murmured nervously. She gave a quick, wary glance around the camp for any warriors passing by before looking down at the ginger kitten again. "She's only a kit..." She pleaded, her yellow gaze turning back towards her friend.

Dustpaw sniffed indignantly. _Why is she sticking up for a runt?_ He thought, glaring down at the squirming ginger pelt beneath his paws. He pressed down harder.

" _She's_ the one who wanted to play hunter and mouse." He defended.

Graypaw wasn't so easily pursuaded with that argument. She opened her mouth to speak again.

"But-... She cut herself off, her nose scenting the air. _Oh no..._ Dustpaw hadn't seemed to notice just yet, as he smirked down at the kit again.

"Besides, she's only ha-" he was cut off as an angry screech broke out the clearing, followed by a flurry of paw steps.

"DUSTPAAAAW!" The smile froze on Dustpaw's face. His pelt spiked up in alarm. "(Mousedung)" he muttered under his breath moments before a flash of gray pelt crashed into him, throwing him off of the kit and pinning him down.

Dustpaw looked up to see green eyes flaring with hatred. The gray she-cat pinning him made no attempt to hide her fury, and he could tell that some Warriors were turning their heads to look in their direction. He decided to attempt to give an innocent smile.

"Good morning Mosspaw." He greeted. Mosspaw didn't loosen her grip on her denmate. The ginger kit had gotten to her paws, and Graypaw was watching her denmates in alarm.

"What have I told you about bullying Emberkit?" Mosspaw hissed, pressing him farther into the ground, not unlike he had been doing to Emberkit just moments before.

"Bullying? I don't recall doing such a thing. We were just playing around." Dustpaw said, smirking up at her. Mosspaw hissed in fury and motioned with her tail towards Emberkit, who was coved in dust and cowering.

"Oh really, then why is her pelt so messed up?" Mosspaw asked angrily. She was tempted to unsheathing her claws when Graypaw seemed to snap to her senses.

"Mosspaw! Get off of him!" She shouted, taking a few steps closer, but froze when Mosspaw's furious glare was turned towards her.

Mosspaw stepped away from Dustpaw, and it was Graypaw's time to cower before her sister's angry glare. The gray she-cat angrily marched towards the paler gray one that shivered before her.

"You! How can you always sit there and let him do that?!" Mosspaw hissed angrily, standing over her sister angrily. Graypaw had lowered herself to the ground, staring up at her sister, terrified.

"I..."

Suddenly Dustpaw was on his feet, shoving himself between them. He pushed his face up to Mosspaw's, matching her glare beat-for-beat.

"Don't. Yell. At. Her." He hissed, his gaze dark and angry. The two traded glares for a few heartbeats, while the other two watched on in worry.

Suddenly, paw steps sounded. A fluffy gray she-cat with tufted ear tips padded out of the apprentice's den with a yawn and annoyed expression.

"Break it up you two!" She ordered, taking a stand between her bickering denmates. Emberkit's expression turned to a beaming smile, while the three apprentice's turned to a look of surprise.

"Sis?" Both Graypaw and Mosspaw said in unision, while Emberkit sprinted towards her with a nuzzle.

"Rainpaw!" Emberkit greeted happily, relieved that this would signal the fighting to be over. Rainpaw checked to make sure that the ginger kitten was unharmed, then turned to glare at her denmates.

"Do we have to start _EVERY_ morning like this?" She asked with an annoyed sigh. To Rainpaw, this was how she was greeted every time she turned around. She always returned to her denmates about to tear each other's fur off. _Can't they just talk it out like normal cats?_ She always silently pleaded with Starclan.

Mosspaw's defense and Rainpaw's retorts began to exchange quickly, as though they had been rehearsed. By this point, it may as well have been. Rainpaw couldn't remember a day when a discussion like this didn't occur.

"He started it!"

"I don't care who started it, I'm ending it."

"But Ember-"

"I said that I am ending it. Go find your mentors and do something useful. I'll take Emberkit back to her mother."

By this point, Dustpaw was leading Grapaw away already. After they were out of hearing range, he turned towards Graypaw, his angry glare turning towards one of worry.

"Hey, you ok?" He asked her, looking deep in her eyes, then glancing her paws, as if to check if they had started shaking.

"Yeah... I'm fine..." Graypaw said, with a soft smile. She knew that his question hadn't only been directed at Mosspaw's lashing out. It was moments like these that reminded her of the side that made her admire him. If only he showed more of it.

Dustpaw stared at her for a few heartbeats, as if trying to detect a lie. Eventually he took a breath and turned to face away from her.

"Just tell me if _it_ starts up again. You know that Redstripe says that it flares up when you're stressed..." He muttered, silently beating himself up when remembering her worried glances when he had pinned Emberkit. He admits to himself that he needs to start working on that.

Meanwhile, back at the apprentice's den, Mosspaw was still watching the duo leave, a glare plain on her expression. Rainpaw and Emberkit sat beside her, both turning to look at her.

"One morning. Just one. That's all I ask for." Rainpaw said, shaking her head. She sighed and turned her gaze towards Emberkit, who was now trying to lick her pelt clean. "I'm surprised that Leafpaw wasn't part of it today."

"He's already out with Doespeck." Mosspaw respended without turning to look at her sister. Rainpaw gave a sigh of relief.

"At least someone realized that they have responsibilities." She muttered, loud enough to that Mosspaw could hear. Rainpaw didn't bother to listen to Mosspaw's angry mutter, instead smiling down at Emberkit. "Let's get you back to the nursery." She said softly.

 **Hi, welcome to chapter one. This included the introduction to the three main characters. I tried to include some hints to storylines farther down that give some characters a bit more depth. I might put a Willowclan allegiance in a later chapter, but for now here's the characters in chapter one.**

 **Dustpaw- Brown tabby tom with Amber eyes.**

 **Mosspaw- Gray she-cat with Green eyes(youngest sister).**

 **Rainpaw- Gray she-cat with darker gray, tufted ears and yellow eyes(eldest sister).**

 **Graypaw- Pale gray she-cat with yellow eyes(middle sister).**

 **Emberkit- Small, dark ginger she-kit with gray eyes(Half-clan).**


	3. Chapter Two: Assignments

"Your fur! What happened?!" Mudflower shrieked, racing up to Emberkit. The pretty Tortoishell queen began hurriedly trying to clean Emberkit's dusty and messy pelt. The little ginger kit squirmed under her mother's grooming, trying to move away from her while protesting.

Mudflower ignored her daughter's mewls and turned towards Rainpaw, who awkwardly watched the two while shuffling her paws.

"What happened?" The queen demanded, her expression turning serious. Rainpaw could tell that she already had a few guesses as to why Emberkit was covered in dirt. Again.

"It... It was one of Dustpaw's games again." Rainpaw murmured, a bit reluctant to throw her denmate to Mudflower's wrath. She shook the thought from her head. _I'm the one who'se going to have to do the explaining. It won't kill him to take responsibility for once._ She thought.

As Rainpaw expected, Mudflower frowned and started glancing around the camp. Her glare was sharp, and Rainpaw still couldn't keep down a pang of pity for Dustpaw whenever the queen finally found him. Eventually Mudflower turned to question Rainpaw again.

"Again? I thought I asked Nightheart to-" Mudflower growled, throwing a glare towards the Great Rock, where the deputy of Willowclan was beginning to gather the Warriors. Before she could finish her sentence, Emberkit interrupted her.

"Mama, it's ok." She said, forcing a smile to try to calm her mother. The two older cats looked down at the ginger kitten, surprise lighting their eyes. "They play rough sometimes... But I like playing with the apprentices!" Emberkit declared, her eyes bright.

Mudflower stared at her kit, her expression difficult to describe. Sad, pitying, confused... Maybe even heartbroken? Rainpaw couldn't tell for certain. The queen and her kit stared at each other for a few moments, but to Rainpaw, it felt like moons. Eventually, Mudflower gave a sigh and looked away. Rainpaw could easily describe her expression now: tired and defeated. The queen beckoned for her kit to follow her.

"Let's get you cleaned up..." She murmured, her gaze trained to the ground. Emberkit followed her mother into the shadowy nursery. Rainpaw watched the two disappear on the shadows. She stood there for awhile after they left, a pang in her heart.

 _It must be lonely..._ She thought sadly. Mudflower and Emberkit were the only two in the nursery. Emberkit was the only kit in the queen's litter, and no other she-cat was expecting. Neither had had a denmate since Rainpaw and her siblings had become apprentices moons ago.

On its own, that wouldn't be so bad, but because of the cercumstances... Most of the clan avoided the two. Others would vocally announce their displeasure that Applestar even allowed them to stay. It would be harder for Emberkit than her mother. Kits need to play when their little, but if Mosspaw or Rainpaw were busy, the kit had very few options. Most of the clan wouldn't even go near her, even on a good day. To even defend Dustpaw, Emberkit must feel desperate to have _some_ connections.

Rainpaw cleared her head with a gentle shake. She couldn't worry about her young friend right now. Patrols and training would be assigned soon. She headed over towards the Great Rock, where Nightheart was about to begin the assignments.

The young deputy stood tall on the Great Rock, a high series of stones near the center of camp. Nightheart looked down at the gathered warriors, though Rainpaw noticed the way the black tom fidgeted his paws to relieve some nervous energy.

She settled near Jaywing and Crowpelt, two of the newest warriors in the clan. The two warriors gave her a nod as she sat beside him.

"He hasn't started yet, has he?" Rainpaw whispered, motioning her head towards the Willowclan deputy above them. Crowpelt shook his head and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Nope. You're right on time." He purred jokingly. As soon as he finished his statement, Nightheart's call sounded in the clearing. Patrols were being assigned.

"Alright! Whitesky will lead the Sunhigh patrol. Take Jaywing, er... And Petalfall and Mosspaw." Nightheart said. He had hesitated bit between naming the cats, as if worried he'd be corrected. "Make sure to check the Stoneclan border thoroughly." Whitesky, a large white tom with a torn ear and long, ugly scar across his face, simply nodded his head without a word. The senior warrior was a cat of few words.

Jaywing looked at the deputy disapprovingly.

"Great Starclan, he doesn't have to be so nervous!" She whispered to her littermate. Rainpaw did have to agree with the silver tabby. Nightheart had been deputy for long enough that he shouldn't be so nervous by now. Crowpelt came to his defense though.

"Hey, it's not easy filling Graybelly's paws." He whispered back. He suddenly turned his head towards Rainpaw and muttered a quick apology. Rainpaw glanced down at her paws. She remembered the elderly deputy's death quite clearly. Jaywing rolled her eyes at long-furred tom.

"Graybelly died almost _four_ seasons ago! Filling his paw steps shouldn't even matter anymore!" She hissed, clearly annoyed. Rainpaw was about to interject when a cold voice interrupted them.

"Hey."

The trio froze. Rainpaw thought she could hear Jaywing curse under her breath as the three cats turned to see Petalfall's cold stare.

"Get to work instead of gossiping. You can't protect the clan with senseless chatter." She ordered. The three cats shivered as Jaywing and Crowpelt murmured an apology to the senior warrior. Jaywing quickly made her way towards Whitesky, muttering "(Oh joy. I get to spend the day with the funest cats in the clan.)" if Petalfall heard the sarcastic remark, she didn't show it.

Petalfall's constant cold expression was nothing new. Actually, it never was, but it never failed to keep the younger cats in line. Rainpaw admired that about the warrior. She watched as Petalfall made her way towards the patrol as well, snapping at her apprentice, Mosspaw, to hurry her tail over there.

A nudge to her shoulder brought her attention back towards the Great Rock. Rainpaw realized she'd gotten distracted by the two warrior's exchange and had stopped paying attention.

"Sucks to be you. You have the night hunt." Crowpelt chuckled, flicking her ear. Rainpaw growned inwardly. Great. She was going to be up all night, and odds were she wouldn't be getting any sleep at dawn if her denmates had anything to say about it.

"Who am I with?" She asked him, dreading it already. Night patrols were already awful, but they could be even worse depending on who you spent it with.

"Frostheart, Squirreltail and Goldenstep." Crowpelt listed. _Oh no._ Rainpaw inwardly groaned. _What did I do to deserve this?_ Crowpelt grinned at her playfully. "Hey, it could be worse. You could be spending the day training with Hawk-oooh wait..." He laughed teasingly. "Oh, how I'm so happy not to be you!" He gave Rainpaw a final nudge before padding away towards the fresh-kill pile. _Starclan why me?_

 _ **Thanks for reading! This is my first fanfic, so I'm open for suggestions of improvement or critisizms. The first few chapters are going to primarily be about introducing the cast and dropping bits and hints about the backstory. Not everything's going to be revealed in the beginning, but I want to try and get a general knowledge and a moment for all the Willowclanners before the story really gets going.**_


	4. Patroling and Punishments

**Willowclan**

 **Leader: Applestar- Ginger tom with Amber eyes.**

 **Deputy: Nightheart- Black tom with blue eyes.**

 **Medicine Cat: Redstripe- Ginger tabby tom with light green eyes**

 ** _Apprentice- Darkepetal_**

 **Warriors: Briarclaw- Dark brown tabby she-cat with brown eyes.**

 **Hawkfeather- Brown tabby tom with brown eyes.**

 ** _Apprentice- Rainpaw_**

 **Goldenstep- Golden tabby she-cat with Amber eyes.**

 **Smokepatch- Gray-and-White tom with blue eyes.**

 **Petalfall- Tortoishell she-cat with green eyes.**

 ** _Apprentice- Mosspaw_**

 **Maplenosw: Brown-and-White tabby she-cat with green eyes.**

 ** _Apprentice- Dustpaw_**

 **Whitesky- Large white tom with a scared face and green eyes.**

 **Squirreltail- Light brown tabby tom with Amber eyes.**

 **Cottonpelt- Long-furred cream she-cat with Amber eyes.**

 ** _Apprentice- Graypaw_**

 **Doespeck- Brown she-cat with darker patches and Amber eyes.**

 ** _Apprentice- Leafpaw_**

 **Brookleap- Gray tabby tom with green eyes.**

 **Grassheart- Gray tom with green eyes.**

 **Spottedlight- Toroishell she-cat with yellow eyes.**

 **Frostheart- White tom with Amber eyes.**

 **Jaywing- Silver tabby she-cat with yellow eyes.**

 **Crowpelt- Long-haired dark gray tom with yellow eyes.**

 **Apprentices: Darkpetal- Black-and-White she-cat with yellow eyes.**

 **Leafpaw- Dark brown tabby ton with Amber eyes.**

 **Dustpaw- Brown tabby tom with Amber eyes.**

 **Rainpaw- Light gray she-cat with darker gray tufted ears and yellow eyes.**

 **Graypaw- Pale gray she-cat with yellow eyes.**

 **Mosspaw- Gray she-cat with blue eyes.**

 **Queens: Mudflower- Pretty Tortoishell she-cat with light blue eyes. (Mother to Emberkit)**

 **Elders: Berrypelt- Old cream tom with green eyes**

 **Hollypelt- Dark ginger she-cat with brown eyes.**

Mosspaw padded over to her mentor as the patrol was preparing to set out. Petalfall had no patience for tardiness, something that Mosspaw learned the hard way during her first moon of training.

Her pelt was still bristled slightly from her argument with Dustpaw and Graypaw earlier. She couldn't help but send a hate-filled glare towards the duo as she passed them. Graypaw visibly flinched while Dustpaw returned the glare with an equally hate-filled look. She couldn't wait till Dustpaw became a warrior and would be out of her fur for a few moons.

"Stop getting distracted." Petalfall snapped, cuffing Mosspaw's ear. She glared coldly at her apprentice, a look that seemed to always be on her face no matter the time of day. "Apprentices today, always thinking that they're own petty rivalries deserve more attention than being on the verge of war. Don't let me hear of another incident like this morning again. I won't let my mentoring ability be questioned because of a wild apprentice." Her mentor spat, before she began heading towards the camp entrance with a lash of her tail.

 _Oh, so that's why she seems to be a worse mood today._ Mosspaw thought, flowing behind her mentor with her ears pinned down. It was becoming clear that her sister wasn't the only cat in the clan that was becoming fed up with the high tensions among the apprentices. As she began lagging behind the patrol, Jaywing slowed to match her pace.

"Does she _ever_ just loosen up? I don't think I've ever seen her smile once." Jaywing snorted quietly, loud enough that Whitesky and Petalfall wouldn't overhear. "I mean really, it must be tough. Briarclaw was much better mentor. She actually knew how to offer a complement." The silver tabby laughed, and Mosspaw couldn't help but chucked too. She smiled, knowing that the warrior was trying to cheer her up.

Mosspaw's attention quickly moved towards her mentor and Whitesky when she noticed that the two had stopped. She and Jaywing exchanged a knowing look and sped up to reach the rest of the patrol. They had approached the Stoneclan border.

"Stay together and alert." Whitesky said, scanning the trees. The over caution was a bit unnecessary, but after Graybelly and... Mosspaw shook the thoughts out of her head. Stoneclan wouldn't be foolish enough to try something like that again. Not for a while at least. Not while the incident was still fresh in everyone's minds. It had almost severed their close relations with Brackenclan, so Stoneclan wouldn't be too risk losing what was left of their neighbors backing to attack Willowclan again.

The patrol carefully made their way around the border, making sure to remark the borders while keeping alerts for potential ambushes. Mosspaw found herself staring through the trees into the field that Stoneclan called their territory. She scrunched up her nose, wondering how they could live in such an open area. _I wonder if their camp is in the open too..._ She thought, almost smirking, when she noticed shapes approaching the border from the distance.

"Petalfall!" She hissed, her pelt spiking in alarm. It was just her luck to be on the patrol that came across Stoneclan's border patrol.

Not even a heartbeat had passed before Petalfall was at her side, lightly shoving Mosspaw behind her. Whitesky appeared a moment later, glaring at the approaching cats.

"Mosspaw, hang back. Stay by those bushes." Petalfall hissed, not taking her stare off of the approaching patrol. Mosspaw quickly rose to argue.

"What?! No, I'm staying here! I'm strong enough to fight them!" Mosspaw argued, lashing her tail.

"It's a patrol. Not a first wave." Whitesky muttered, also trying to usher the apprentice behind the warriors. Jaywing tried to offer a nervous smile.

"Don't fight a battle that hasn't started yet." The warrior tried to joke, but she failed to hide the wariness in her voice. Even Jaywing couldn't hide her unease about crossing paths with Stoneclan.

Before Mosspaw could offer a retort, the Stoneclan patrol arrived to greet the patrol. Five cats made up the patrol, and Mosspaw couldn't help but note that they were outnumbered if a fight _did_ brake out. A white she-cat stepped closer to the border and offered a greeting.

"Whitesky, Petalfall." The she-cat dipped her head. Whitesky mearly nodded his head in aknowledgement, leaving Petalfall to respond.

"Greetings Icenose. My I ask how Stoneclan is doing?" She asked, not relaxing her posture.

"Good. Very good... Willowclan? Prey running good? Well fed?" Icenose asked, eyes flashing in curiosity. Mosspaw couldn't help but believe there was something particular that the white warrior was wanting to ask about.

"We're fine." Jayclaw spoke up, trying to keep the growl out of her voice. The tension was so thick that it was almost tangible. Both patrols continued to stare at each, silently daring the other to give something away. To make some sort of slip up. Some excuse...

"Well, that's good. We'd heard been hearing rumors from Brackenclan that Leaf-Bare had hit Willowclan hard. We'd been worried, especially Fla-" Icenose began speaking, putting on an amused and innocent smile, which enraged Mosspaw more than the statement that she was about to make. She could feel her temper flaring, and before she knew it, Mosspaw had pushed herself infront of the others.

"Tell that mouse-heart that I will personally tear his pelt off if he tries anything! Stay away from her!" She snarled, barely keeping herself from crossing the border. She ignored Petalfall's hiss as she glared at Icenose. Icenose herself seemed caught off guard from Mosspaw's sudden outburst before glaring down at the apprentice.

"Is it Willowclan's custom to teach their apprentices such poor manners?" She questioned, clearly annoyed. Mosspaw hissed in fury and was about to try and tear the warriors ear off before her blood ran cold as Whitesky broke in, tone filled with undisguised wrath.

"Mosspaw." Whitesky finally spoke up, causing Mosspaw to turn, freezing at the sight of his furious glare. "Behind Jayclaw. _Now._ " He snarled, and Mosspaw slowly stomped back towards Jayclaw.

"We'll be continuing if you don't mind." Petalfall said, not even waiting for Iceclaw to respond before turning to return to patrolling. She sent an angry glare at Mosspaw. Mosspaw opened her mouth to defend herself, but a single look at Petalfall's expression silenced her. Her mentor was angrier than she had ever seen.

"You keep quiet. If I hear another word from you during this patrol and I will personally request that Applestar take away your apprenticeship. We'll discuss this further when we get to camp." She snarled. This level of fury was new to even Petalfall. She looked like she was barely keeping her cool, which was a first for the aloof and cold warrior.

Mosspaw gulped, knowing that she had walked muzzle-first into a fox den this time. She kept her head down and eyes to the forest floor as she followed her mentor.

"Jaywing. Circle back and keep an eye on the until they leave." Whitesky ordered when they had left eyesight. Jaywing froze for a moment, before nodding awkwardly. She dashed back the way she came, looking back at the patrol once before disappearing into some bushes and rushing back towards the border.

 _This is the worst day ever..._

 _ **This chapter was a bit harder to wright. It's a bit hard to portray interactions between two sides that are one sarcastic comment away from tearing each other's faces off. The focus of this chapter was to introduce what the other two clans are and give a feel to what the current relationship dynamics between them will be like. Stoneclan is a mix of both Riverclan and Windclan, Brackenclan is a bit like Shadowclan, while Willowclan is like Thunderclan. Brackenclan and Stoneclan were close allies until an incident moons ago between Willowclan and Stoneclan that left WClan and SClan more antagonistic than ever before and BClan almost completely denouncing their ties with SClan.**_


	5. Helping in the Medicine Den

Emberkit peeked out of the nursery, checking the sky from the cracks in the nursery walls. She was felt a flash of gratitude that the warriors were to busy watching the borders from day to night to be able to fix it. She could see the sun was high and bright, and sh supposed that the day was about half over.

She quietly turned back to her mother, who dozed in the nest that the two shared. Emberkit grinned quietly. Now was her chance.

The little ginger kitten slowly made her way to the entrance, desperate the keep silent enough so that her mother wouldn't wake up. Mudflower would never allow her to wonder around camp again today if she were awake, at least not after this morning, so she had to sneak out. Being stuck in the nursery was no fun, and she loved being outside anyway.

Reaching the entrance of the nursery, she threw another wary glance towards Mudflower, making sure that she was still asleep before exiting. Now that Emberkit was out of the nursery, she glanced around the camp. She couldn't see any of the apprentices, so they must be out on patrols or training. She felt disheartened for a moment, but bushed up her pelt and wore a determined expression.

Just because they were gone, didn't mean she couldn't find _someone_ to play with. She'd already given up on winning over the elders, at least for now, she wondered over near the warriors den. Emberkit poked her head through the entrance, wondering if anyone was still resting.

At a glance, she could only see a few warriors in the den. She saw Squirreltail in the back of the den, and was tempted to step closer to wake him up, when she noticed Goldenstep sleeping near the back aswell. Her fear overtook her, and she quickly ducked out of the den. If she had accidentally awoken Goldenstep when greeting Squirreltail... The incident of this morning would seem like the friendliest interaction of her life.

After giving up on the warriors den, Emberkit settled near the apprentice's den. She decided to wait for one of them to return. She settled in a beam of warm sunshine and crouched, beginning to feel a doze settling. She had just about fallen into a nap when a shadow passed over her. She opened her eyes just as a voice called out.

"Taking a nap? I'm jealous... I wish when I was allowed to sleep all day..." The voice yawned. Emberkit looked up to see a black-and-white she-cat setting down a mouthful of herbs. Emberkit searched her memory for the cats name...

"Darkpetal? Hello..." Emberkit greeted, dipping her head to the medicine cat apprentice. If she recalled, it was rare for the Darkpetal to be out. Even though Emberkit was a few moons old, she had seen the medicine cat apprentice a paw full of times.

"Ugh... Can't believe he made me go restock the marigold. And resorting the herb store? Doesn't he know how early it is? A cat needs some sleep." Darkpetal yawned, seemingly complaining to herself. Emberkit resisted the urge to mention that in was sunhigh, clearly not early.

 _Wait, isn't it part of her job to restock the herb store?_ She wondered, but decided not to comment on the complaints that the older cat was making.

"Do you need any help?" Emberkit asked instead, realizing the potential to relieve her boredom. Darkpetal glanced down at the kit on surprise, and a bit of confusion. Not as though she was surprised about her offer, but more like... _Di-did she forget I was here?_ Emberkit wondered, astonished at the puzzles look on the other cat's face.

Darkpetal's eyes suddenly flashed in recognition, and she smiled down at Emberkit.

"Really? Well sure, if you want." Darkpetal smiled, and Emberkit felt delighted to be able to actually do something. As she cheerfully followed the dark she-cat to the medicine den, she failed to notice the glint in Darkpetal's eyes.

"Wow! I've never been in here before!" Emberkit gasped in wonder, taking in the looks of the den. There were two moss beds in the far corner of the den, which she assumed must be where Redstripe and Darkpetal sleep. There were multiple dips and holes in the ground of the den, where she could see different types of herbs. Near the wall, they're were bunches of herbs stacked into piles.

"Yup. Redstripe likes to keep it organized." Darkpetal yawned, stretching out her back. She stood up straight again and gestured to the holes in the ground. We keep the herbs in these holes. If you'd like to help, you can go through those and start organizing them. Redstripe has been bringing a lot of fresh herbs every day now that newlife at has started, and I was supposed to have been checking the stock and organizing them, but I've been getting a bit... Sidetracked. Yeah, that's it." She yawned. "Just start checking them, I'll be over checking the ones on the other side of the den. With both of us working together, we'll get it done in no time!" Darkpetal instructed before padding over towards the opposite of the den.

"How will I be able to tell where they go? I don't know what any of the herbs are..." Emberkit called. Darkpetal gave a small sigh before returning and motioning to the edges of the plant.

"Just check the edges of the leaves, and the scent. You'll probably be able to make a close enough guess with that." The Medicine cat apprentice yawned again before returning to her half of the den.

 _Is that really all? Huh, I thought dealing with herbs was more complicated than that... This sounds really easy!_ Emberkit thought, feeling confident in Darkpetal's "trust". She began working hard, placing plants with sour scents into piles with other sour scents, and spiky leaved plants with plants with similar spiky leaves.

Some time later, Emberkit had "sorted" most of the herbs when she heard paw steps approaching the den. She turned to see Redstripe enter the den, looking exhausted and carrying way too many herbs for one cat to carry. He took one look at Emberkit, herb in paw and about to place it into one of the holes, and immediately dropped all of the herbs with a horrified shriek.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" He screeched, shoving her away from the hole and taking a quick scan through all of them. The medicine cat wailed in dismay. "Y-you messed up all of them! They're all mixed up! It'll take a whole day to reorganize them back!" He spun around and glared at Emberkit, who was now crouched while trembling in shock and confusion, in fury. "Why were you messing with my store?! Don't you know that kits should stay out of the medicine den!?" He shouted.

Emberkit spoke up, voice trembling. "D-Darkpetal s-said that I could help. She sa-said that I just had to loo-" she began when Redstripe let out an angry hiss.

"She said wha- Darkpetal!" He shouted and both of them spun their heads to look in Darkpetal's direction, only to find her... Fast asleep, curled up in her nest. Redstripe marched over towards her, enfuriated. He roughly cuffed her ear. "Get up! What have I told you about passing your work off on other cats?! And a kit!? Are you insane!? What if she tasted something that would make her sick!?" He shouted, as Darkpetal groggily stood up.

"Hm?" She yawned, and looked at her mentor and Emberkit in confusion. "What are you talking about?" She muttered, stretching while blinking sleepily. Emberkit was shocked that she could act to calm in the face of the furious medicine cat.

"You told her to sort the medicine store? Look at what she did!" Redstripe hissed, gesturing towards the mess that Emberkit had made the holes of herbs into.

Darkpetal stared confused at Emberkit for a moment, as if trying to remember who she was and what Refstripe was talking about. Her eyes suddenly slashed with recognition again, just as they had earlier near the apprentice's den. She walked over towards the holes and peered inside. She looked at each carefully before nodding her head thoughtfully.

"Yes... Yes... I see... Good job, I owe you for doing my chores." Darkpetal said, dipping her head towards an even more confused Emberkit and a shocked Redstripe.

"Good job? She ruined the storage! Wait, that's not even the main point, WHY DIDN'T YOU DO IT!?" He screeched, lashing his ginger tail angrily.

"Cause I didn't really wanna..." Darkpetal yawned. The two ginger cats couldn't believe their ears.

"Wh-! How-? Great Starclan am I the _only_ sensible medicine cat in our clan's history?" Redstripe sighed, looking annoyed and tired. "I would say that you'd be the death of me, but Starclan knows that I can't leave Willowclan on your paws! I've never seen such wasted potential before!"

"Uh... C-can I go now..?" Emberkit asked awkwardly.

"Yeah sure." Darkpetal said, still not looking the least bit bothered by the situation.

"Just go back to the nursery. I'm sorry you had to see this, just please never grow up to be.. _This."_ Redstripe muttered, pointing a glare towards Darkpetal, who didn't seem to mind the comment.

Emberkit quickly dipped her head in farewell before dashing out of the medicine den. She had almost reached the nursery when a final shout rang out of Redstripe's den.

"Wake up and fix this!"

 _No one in this clan seems to get along, do they..._ Emberkit thought awkwardly as she snuck back towards her own nest. Mudflower still slept gently, and Emberkit was relieved that it appeared like she hadn't woken up while she was gone. She's caused enough trouble today. _I think I'll stay away from the medicine den from now on..._ She thought as she curled up next to her mother's side.

 **Thanks for reading! There's about four (living) characters whose primary purpose is to add comic relief, and Darkpetal is one of them. So here we've introduced the expreamly lazy character trope that I don't think I've seen too much in warriors. There's probably at least one in the books, but Darkpetal will take the laziness up to an eleven.**


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